Three days ago, I posted on the cyclone that wrecked much of Myanmar, killing thousands while the country’s government twiddled its thumbs.
Today, the UN believes that the death toll could hit 100,000 — about 286 times the Myanmar government’s initial public estimate of 350 deaths. Fearing a loss of control over its people if the world intervenes, the ruling military has refused to allow most aid organizations to enter the country — worsening the disaster and condemning many thousands of its citizens to death by starvation and disease.
Many aid supplies that do get into the country are quickly locked up in government warehouses. This makes me so mad.
From the BBC:
About 5,000 square kilometres (1,930 square miles) of farmland in the Irrawaddy delta are now under water, littered with thousands of corpses.
Aid agencies say the lack of access to clean drinking water and outbreaks of communicable diseases such as dengue and malaria are a major concern.
The country’s ruling generals have faced mounting criticism over their handling of the crisis, their reluctance to allow international aid teams into the country and their insistence on distributing aid themselves.
The World Food Programme is in talks with the government after tonnes of aid it flew into Burma was impounded by the military authorities, who wanted to control its distribution.
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